Almost Red profile picture

Almost Red

and the band played on...and on...and on...and on

About Me

..

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 5/26/2007
Band Website: hardly likely..took me ages to make this page
Band Members: Formed in 79 as Legion a 3 piece punk band with Phil Doc’, Mouse Taylor and my good self (Paul Carter). Spent a year supporting bands sponsored by solvent abuse products.First gig as a fully fledged support band was warming up for a bunch of Skinheads at the Yorkshire House in Lancaster (before it was quite as popular with bands as it is now) when you would only call in there on your way to the Styx club (oh, those heady days with the Basking Sharks, Natural Scientists, Warsaw etc)Shared bill with Toy Dolls and Amazulu at a CND gig but never played as the organisers took a disliking to our drummers "Warhead" t-shirt.Finally got fed up of never getting paid and making sure the headline act didn’t steal our gear we gave up Punk for Indie.Formed Exit (the only way we would ever see our name in lights) added another guitarist, initially a Jock waster who’d never turn up and then a guy called Lee "chopper" Clarke who had been in various punk bands. Exit toured, touted studio demo’s etc but fizzled out due to a combination of musical differences, barley wine and nubiles.Almost Red formed late 83 with myself and Phil Doc’ plus 2 whipper snappers that had followed our Exit and Legion days - Gary (lead guitar) and Tommy (Drums, Headbutts, wind etc ). Played plenty and even managed another trip to the studio.....never really got anywhere but who cares ... it was a great few years!I’ve got shoe boxes full of photo’s, flyers etc and C-90’s (that’ll fool the young ’uns) full of demo’s and unfinished tracks.Roll call - Asylum - Carts, Carts (Andy), Doc and Mouse. (one dodgy rehearsal tape..yet to find it, includes the infamous "Warcry") Legion - Carts, Doc, Mouse. (various rehearsals - remember the quay?) Exit - Carts, Doc, Mouse, john (Jock) Exit v2 - Carts, Doc, Mouse, Lee "Chopper" Clarke. (Sudio demo, Live at Park, Live at Broadway) Almost Red - Carts, Doc, Gary, Tommy. (Studio Demo plus rehearsals)
Influences: OK I admit it....I'm a music slag.....My tastes are varied and changeable!Initially stumbled out of the 70's where it was either Disco or rock music (no contest!) into the waiting arms of punk. Alan Freeman introduced me to the harder side of Reggae and then.... the Stranglers and that was it, hooked. Then followed Buzzcocks, Damned, Vibrators, Pistols, Clash, Ruts, Wailers etc. Over time this morphed into the more accessible punk/Indie stuff and mellowed into the Cure, Magazine, Teardrop Explodes, Echobelly, Bowie, Talking Heads, Bill Nelson and even strayed across into some electronic, physcobilly and Goth rock stuff if the songs were good enough. Still had an ear for rock music and followed Be Bop Deluxe into Bill Nelson and stayed with his sound over the years!Spent most of the early 80's listening to anything that came out on an independent label and had either Manchester or Liverpudlian roots.Still keep listening to the old stuff plus updated it a bit with Gorillaz, Spearhead, Queens of the Stone Age, Muse, Foo Fighters and, my latest addiction, Dub and Ska!Always loved the local live music scene and supported/respected any acts that had the wit and will to drag themselves onto a stage ... salut!Memorable live acts included - Bowie, Cure, Bauhaus, Killing Joke, Japan, the Membranes. Gig's I'd rather forget - The Fall (still don't get the hype?) any punk band with a CND logo on it's backdrop, the Vibrators (come back tour...urgghh) Human League Note perfect and dull), Siouxsie and the Banshees (there's only so much of that voice you can take in one sitting)Biggest regrets ..never saw Magazine, Stranglers or Talking Heads live
Sounds Like: Let's be honest...it was the early 80's so it sounds like it's old and dated :(
Record Label: run rabbit run
Type of Label: None

My Blog

More live stuff from the vaults

Uploaded another live track..."Love to hate you too" it's another rough and ready recording off a mixing desk so ignore the quality and turn it up. It's early Exit (1982 maybe?)with Doc and Mouse and ...
Posted by Almost Red on Sun, 25 May 2008 02:39:00 PST

Died trying!

For some reason the ever so helpful MySpace interface has decided to accept my recent changes but not bother actually uploading them....almost 24 hours later it still says it is processing the changes...
Posted by Almost Red on Sat, 12 Apr 2008 07:00:00 PST

Lost track

Spent a few hours rummaging thru some old c-90's and found some  more rehearsal and live recordings. Uploaded a live version of Died Laughing from one of Legions earliest gigs at the Park in Lanc...
Posted by Almost Red on Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:59:00 PST

new live songs...2 for 1 deal!

..> ..> new live songs...2 for 1 deal! The live track "Joy" has now been replaced with a live version of one of Exit's slower numbers "I've been here before" which then leads into "The Edge" a much...
Posted by Almost Red on Tue, 11 Mar 2008 06:34:00 PST

work it

It's a Saturday and I'm working. 'nuff said really.
Posted by Almost Red on Sat, 01 Mar 2008 07:22:00 PST

Live and let live

Thought that I would liven things up a bit by swapping a studio track for a live slot. I'll probably rotate this every now again until all the live material has had an airing....you lucky people! So.....
Posted by Almost Red on Sat, 23 Feb 2008 04:34:00 PST

Still nothing

Well another year passes, another Brit awards evening draws to an end and still no Lifetime achievement award....when will they realise the error of their ways...oh well, look on the bright side, Leon...
Posted by Almost Red on Wed, 20 Feb 2008 02:35:00 PST

new for old

Feel a bit sad...I just removed the fun filled and extremely "live" version of  "I'm Smart" from the playlist and replaced it with another studio track called The Hour Has Come. Not sure I did th...
Posted by Almost Red on Thu, 31 Jan 2008 01:33:00 PST

If Led Zep can reform, why not Almost Red?

Well I said I would never do it but....after over 20 years I've just bought another Bass. Haven't held one for 2 decades but reckon it's like falling off a bike...really painful! It's just arrived and...
Posted by Almost Red on Mon, 21 Jan 2008 06:10:00 PST

New Year...new opportunities

Happy New Year to you all! Hope 2008 brings you everything you deserve.
Posted by Almost Red on Mon, 31 Dec 2007 03:42:00 PST